Tis, 'Twas, and Upon
by KGBKBG
Summary: Rachel could be described as nothing more than a typical holiday Scrooge. She wasn't always like this, she use to be happy around the holidays, but the magic seemed to just grow out of her. Finn was just the opposite; he loved Christmas. So when they both get a job as elves at the mall, will they change each other? -AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N****: Hi everyone! I'm going to take a little hiatus from my story "Things Aren't Always What They Seem" so I can do this one. I might update that one during winter vacation, but I'm going to try to focus on this story for just this month. This is a Christmas story so I hope to update frequently and have it finished by Christmas. I love holiday themed stories so I'm really excited to write this one :)**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Glee because my name isn't Ryan, Ian, or Brad. However, I do own a necklace with my name on it…just saying.**

* * *

"Rachel, are you going to help me with the tree or am I going to do it myself?" Santana shouted from the living room. Santana so far had decorated the entire house, but thought it was only fair that Rachel would at least help with the tree. Rachel came stumbling into the living room after tripping over some oversized plastic candy canes.

"I told you we don't need to do this," Rachel replied with a mocking tone. She grabbed some ornaments and hooked them on a random branch.

Santana gave her a look, "Excuse me for trying to have some Christmas spirit. You know, just because you have some strange, resentment, against the Holidays, doesn't mean that you have to prevent me from enjoying it."

"I'm sorry Santana; I just don't see the point." Rachel started while tossing an ornament in the middle of the tree. They had so many that there weren't any more empty branches, "I mean, everyone makes such a big deal about them, and then they're over in a month. It's kind of pointless."

"Okay fine, think what you want, but don't stop me from having a little holiday cheer while you wallow yourself in self-pride."

They continued to decorate the artificial tree until there weren't any ornaments left in the boxes. When they were finished Santana and Rachel settled down on the couch; Santana turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Rachel sat with her laptop on top of her as she scrolled through the list of recent stores looking for employees. Rachel had graduated from NYADA and was currently looking for some kind of income until she makes it big on Broadway. There was no doubt in her mind that she wouldn't make it; she just graduated college and only started looking for shows to auditions for now. She had gotten the star role in an off-Broadway play, but it was an original, and apparently not good enough to make it on Broadway.

So now, she was looking for something to get her by until she finds something permanent. Scrolling through the options Rachel finds an opening at the mall, paying $15.00 an hour, and no experience needed. Wondering what the job could be Rachel clicks on the link; she already told herself that if she found a good offer, she would take it no matter how bad it could be. Rachel didn't want to be like one of those spoiled kids who think every well paying job is glamorous. As she waited for the page to load Rachel already made up her mind that no matter what she was going to take this job; unless it threatened her life. _It's at the mall, it can't be that bad_, Rachel thought. The page loaded and Rachel saw the job; Santa's Little Helpers. "You have _got_ to be kidding me," Rachel stated in shock.

"What?" Santana deadpanned not looking up from the screen.

"I—I can't take this job! Uhh, but it pays so well," Rachel stuttered, having yet to explain what is going on to Santana.

"What?" Santana asked again now interested.

Rachel got up and started to pace along the floor, and Santana, now concerned for her friend's well-being, paused the TV and turned to face her friend. "I can't take the job I found it's _awful_, I would have to work with annoying, greedy children all day. Not to mention my potential co-workers would be also probably be annoying Christmas enthusiasts." Rachel rambled not even stopping to take a breath, "But on the flip side I did say that I would take any job that pays well and specifically I told myself I would take this one. _And_ I hate going against my word. Uhh but I don't want to do this."

"Excuse me? What is this job exactly?" Santana asked chuckling to herself slightly. Rachel plopped on the couch next to her best friend.

"Santa's little helper," she mumbled. A laugh creped its way up Santana's throat, she quickly tried to stifle it, but it was too much for her; the laugh poured out of her mouth. Rachel glared at her. The glare made her laugh even more. Pretty soon she was in hysterics, and Rachel started to see the funny part of it too; they were both stuck in a laughing fit, and when they looked at each other they just laughed even more. Their stomachs were cramping from the constant contractions of laughter, and they were trying to calm down. This was basically how they became best friends; they each made each other laugh. It was something both of them appreciated.

Once the laughing fit was over, Santana was finally able to talk, "No, but I think you should do it," she told the small girl. Rachel gave her a desperate look, "Seriously you should. Because this way instead of calling you Dwarf all the time, I'll be able to upgrade to Elf," Santana smiled.

Rachel gave Santana another glare, "Seriously Santana, you know how annoying I find the Holidays, do you really think I would be good at handling these people?"

"No, but I think it would be funny," the Latina smirked. Once Santana realized that Rachel wanted some actual good advice, Santana decided to be serious, "Rachel you should do it. I know you think you're a 'Hard-ass-New-Yorker' now or whatever, but _I_ know you are a really sweet person who would love to recapture that Christmas Spirit you had as a child."

Rachel let what Santana said sink in. What she said was true, Rachel remembered that warm feeling she use to get around the holidays. Her and her dads use to have the best time decorating the house for Christmas and Hanukah; her dad was Jewish and her daddy was Catholic, so they celebrated both. She didn't really know when it was, but as she grew older, the magical feeling she used to get started to drift away. And it wasn't until she moved to New York and joined in with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, that it became more of an inconvenience than magic. Santana was right, Rachel did miss it, but maybe it was a part of growing up. She would just have to accept that things change as you get older, and there was nothing she could do about that.

However, Christmas magic or not, Rachel needed money; so she was going to do it no matter how much it'll annoy her. "Okay, fine. I'm going to do it, but only because I need a job." Santana clapped her hands; finally Rachel wouldn't have to rely on her parents as a source of income.

"So, when does this job start?"

Rachel walked back to the couch and sat down with her laptop. She scanned the screen looking for a date. "December 17, so soon," The job started in 4 days, and Rachel wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

The alarm clock went off; signaling it Rachel's last bit of relaxation before she started her quote; "Job from Hell." The small girl brought a hand up and hit the STOP button on the clock. Usually Rachel wouldn't be annoyed to wake up early, she actually rather wake up early than sleep late. But considering the circumstances, today she didn't want to get out of bed. Still, Rachel Berry being Rachel Berry was never late for anything. She climbed out of her large bed and scuffed across to her closet. Two days ago was her interview for the job, and along with the career, she also received an elf costume. Rachel snarled at the bright pink and white uniform, which came with matching tights.

After showering the brunette put on the outfit, and stared at herself in the mirror. She thought it was a little short to be wearing while working with children, but it wasn't like she selected it. Rachel grabbed the pointed hat and put on the pointy shoes. She curled her hair in soft waves and took one last glance at herself before exiting the small bedroom. If she was being honest with herself, Rachel could say she looked pretty good. You know, for an elf.

Rachel strolled around the quiet apartment collecting her things to go. She was glad that Santana was a late sleeper so she wouldn't have to deal with Santana's insults about her uniform that were bound to happen at some point. Rachel left her apartment and called the elevator to bring her to the lobby. She was wishing no one would be in the elevator so they wouldn't see her dressed as an elf. Yet she had no such luck. Inside were about 3 people, all with confused expressions on their faces. Rachel rolled her eyes and stepped inside. _It was going to be a long day_, she thought.

* * *

Once she arrived at the mall, Rachel went to check the big map to find where Santa was located. Finding him in the far end of the mall, Rachel made her way through the large crowds to the giant Christmas tree surrounded by lights and candy canes. It was still the morning so there wasn't anyone lined up yet, besides the couple of kids every now and then. Rachel observed the random elves dressed similar to her who were crowded around the area setting things up, or playing on their iPhones. As she got closer to them, one elf in particular started to catch her attention. He was by far the most attractive amongst all of the guys. Trying not to stare, the brunette decided to get right to work by sorting the different flavored candy canes.

The handsome elf that was also a little awestruck by Rachel's beauty went to go sort through the candy canes with her. Rachel noticed he was next to her and could feel her face getting hot with the blush that was forming across her cheeks. "So I don't remember you being here all the other days; are you new here?" The charming elf with dimples asked.

Rachel smiled, "Yeah I am, how long have you been working here?"

"I've been doing this every Christmas for about 3 years," he remembered with a fond smile on his face.

Rachel cringed, "Ouch, that's got to suck."

The elf frowned, "Why? I love Christmas, don't you?"

"Nope, I find all of the Holidays kind of annoying actually. You don't find dealing with all these greedy kids annoying at all?"

"Greedy kids? They aren't greedy, well some of them might be, but the majority aren't. Why do you have such negative views on everything, Scrooge?" He mocked.

"Rachel. And I don't have negative views on _everything_, but I think Christmas is just a convenient way for stores make money from people."

"That's not what Christmas is about, Christmas is magic and wonderful." The elf argued, smiling just thinking about it.

"Okay, Buddy the Elf," Rachel mocked back, "You know, I hear a lot of talk about what Christmas is really about, but it all sounds like people trying to reassure themselves that there's a point to the holiday, other than marketing."

"My name is Finn, and if you're so 'anti-Christmas' why are you even working here?"

"I needed money. I'm a theater major trying to make it big on Broadway and that obviously haven't happened yet." Rachel told him with her voice getting quieter at the end out of shame.

"So why didn't you just get a job that doesn't have to do with Christmas? You know, so you not ruining all the fun for everyone who actually finds joy in the Holidays." Finn asked while throwing a candy cane into the pile with force.

Rachel shot him a look, "Okay I don't need your criticism. I don't like the Holidays, why can't you accept that?" She asked him completely stopping her sorting now. Finn shrugged and looked down. He realized that he might have been a little harsh, but that didn't stop him from wanting her to find joy in Christmas.

"I just think that Christmas is amazing and I can't understand how someone finds it anything but," Finn answered honestly.

Rachel looked up at him. She found his child-like optimism very attractive. Minus their different views on things, the sexual tension between them was undeniable. "Well that's very moving, but I just think differently." She replied with slight sarcasm.

Finn looked at her for another moment sighing and walking away. _What happened to make this girl so bitter about Christmas?_ He asked himself. The preparation for the kids to show up went smoothly and before they knew it, they had children all lined up ready to take their picture with Santa.

* * *

The mall was in its closing hours and the Santa station was being cleaned up. Most people had already left leaving Finn and Rachel to take care of the rest.

Finn had been sorting through all of the photos on the computer and organizing a mess, which was once an organized stack of picture frames. Rachel was packaging up some of the decorations that couldn't stay out all night. She was putting them into boxes and just finished gathering all of the plastic items on one side and started to carry the heavy box to the other end of the area. On her way over her hands started to slip and before she could readjust them, the entire box fell to the ground, leaving all the items scattered across the floor. Rachel ran her hands through her hair, and then sighed, kneeling down next to the box. The commotion startled Finn. He looked to where he heard the noise and saw Rachel on her knees trying to gather all the decorations that spilled out of the fallen box. Thinking it would be a good idea to help her; he walked over and knelt down next to her to help her pick up the items.

Rachel looked up and saw Finn in front her helping to pick up the decorations for her. He looked up shortly after her just in time for them to make eye contact. They held each other's gazes in silence for a while, until Rachel broke it, "You don't have to help me, you know." Finn gave her a puzzled look for a moment, and then gathered a fist full of decorations.

"It's okay, I want to. Besides we're like co-workers and we should help each other out and stuff," Finn really didn't know why she wasn't accepting his help. Yeah they got off to a bad start, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be civil to each other. And if Finn was being honest, he actually kind of liked Rachel, he thought she was beautiful; _if only she wasn't so frustrating_, Finn thought. They continued cleaning up the mess in silence; neither of them said anything until all of the items were put back into the box. "So what are you doing after work?" Finn asks trying to make conversation. They still had to pack up the rest of the items, so they were going to be there for a while longer.

Rachel thought for a moment, "I don't really know. Probably go home, and try to catch up on American Horror Story or something. What about you?"

"I think I'm to go ring bells for a Santa charity thing," Finn answered.

Rachel's eyes widened at his devotion. _He really was a good guy_, she thought. "Wow, that's a lot better then what I'm doing," She chuckled, "You really do love Christmas don't you?" Rachel already knew the answer, but she had to ask because his amount of obsession for a holiday was insane, and slightly concerning at the same time.

Finn looked up and smiled, "Yeah, I really do." Thinking about why he loved Christmas made him wonder even more about why she hated it. Finn took a seat in one of the comfy chairs that were placed in the space. The room was set up to look like a typical cozy Christmas Eve living room; just being in the room made the Christmas spirit inside of Finn grow. It was a pretty big space they had considering the tiny set away station inside of a regular mall. This was one of the biggest and nicest malls in New York, so it makes sense for their Santa meet and greets station to be just as big and extravagant. Rachel finished packing up one of her final boxes for the night, before going to plop down in the chair next to him. Finn thought it would be the perfect time to ask her about her resentment to Christmas and all holidays, "So why don't you like Christmas?" He asked bluntly.

The beautiful-Grinch sighed and then looked at the proud elf, "I told you, I just find it a big inconvenience and another way for stores to get you to pay them money."

"Yeah I know you said that, but were you always like that? I mean people don't usually grow up having certain views on things unless something makes them like that, you know?"

Rachel's eyes widened. She only met this guy today and already they were getting to know each other on a personal level. She felt comfortable with him, yet there was still a worry that he would judge her. When she was in high school she had kids constantly judging her, so she mostly got use to it. However, it was still a sore spot with her and she would try to avoid any conversation that could possibly end with her being judged. Rachel knew though that Finn was a good guy though, so it took some of the nervousness from of her. "I don't really know when it happened. But as I got older, Christmas seemed to lose its fun. It became a little boring, and I'm not really sure why. My dads use to go all out for the holidays, because my dad is Jewish and my daddy is Caltholic so we would celebrate both, Christmas and Hanukah. We would decorate the tree together and light the menorah together," Rachel trailed off smiling at all of their memories. "Then when I went to New York and I had to celebrate on my own, it didn't feel special or happy, but more so lonely and sad. There wasn't anything fun about it anymore, so I guess it gave me bad memories." Saying that felt like a weight off of Rachel's chest. She had been hiding her true feelings about this from everyone because she didn't think anyone was willing to listen to her; not even Santana. Rachel had never felt more connected to someone before.

Finn heard what Rachel said and thought it through thoroughly. Now he could understand why she felt how she felt. It made him want to do something so she could feel the magic of Christmas again. Suddenly he got an idea, "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Rachel looked puzzled, "No probably not, just the same I'm going to do today."

"Can I take you somewhere?" Finn asked giving her the smile that made her heart melt.

"Where?" She asked with a confused smile.

"It's a surprise, just say yes."

"Okay—sure, uh, here is my address," Rachel stuttered thrown off by the question. She wrote the address of her and Santana's apartment on a piece of white paper using a pink a pen. When she finished, Rachel handed the slip of paper to Finn who gratefully took it.

_Just wait Rachel Berry, because your heart is about to grow 3 sizes_, he thought and gave himself an imaginary pat on the back for his good Christmas movie reference.

* * *

**A/N****: Wow! This was the longest chapter I've ever written! Being 9 pages and 3494 words! Yay! I hope you liked it! Please Review! More to come…**

* * *

**I'll love Cory Monteith forever, we will never forget you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N****: Wow I got a really great response to this story! Thank you guys so much! I really want to be posting these chapters often so it can be done by Christmas, so I'll be writing at every chance I get! I really like this story so I've been motivated to write, which is always good. I have a good amount of this story planned out, but I would still really like to hear about what ****_you_**** guys want to see, so don't hesitate at all to give me suggestions. :)**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Glee because I don't have enough money to buy it.**

* * *

Finn and Rachel were inside of a Taxi heading to wherever it was Finn is taking her; she didn't know where they were going because Finn insisted it was a surprise. Rachel was confused on their relationship status, as was Finn. Because they would go from bluntly flirting with each other to arguing like they were an old married couple. Finn thought Rachel was gorgeous and vice versa, but it was hard to be with someone who had completely different views from you. And on top of it all, they were both either too stubborn or too passionate about their thoughts to think differently.

Right now though, they were arguing. Rachel was bouncing her legs up and down from being nervous of where he was taking her. She really hated surprises; there was something about her not being in control that made her weary. Finn started to get annoyed by her movements because they were shaking the seat, which made him bounce. To stop her he put a hand on her knees to keep her steady. Rachel didn't appreciate the gesture, and simply removed his hand and continued to bounce. Finn rolled his eyes and placed his hand on her again, with more force this time. Rachel looked at him with a "What the heck?" look, so Finn made himself clear, "Stop bouncing you're making the car shake."

Rachel stopped abruptly and gave him another incredulous stare, "Are you insinuating that I'm fat?"

Finn looked shocked, "No! What the hell? How would take that away from what I said?" Finn inquired completely not understanding how her mind worked.

"You said that I was moving the whole car with just my legs, hinting that I was so big, that I could move an object which weighs over 100 pounds; with just a small movement." She finished.

Finn almost gave himself a face palm, he couldn't believe she was reading into his words so much. That wasn't what he meant at all, he thought Rachel was far from fat. If anything he thought she had a perfect body. "Rachel, that's not what I meant. Even if you weighed 2 pounds you would still shake seat because of physics or whatever."

"So you aren't saying I'm fat?" Rachel asked unsure.

"No, of course not," Finn replied, "If anything I think you have a really nice body, " Finn said the last part without any thought until it came out of his mouth. Once he realized what he said he started to blush. Rachel did too, and she didn't know how to reply.

"Well, um, for what it's worth, I think your body is nice too," Rachel replied slowly. Before things got too awkward, the cab driver informed them that they arrived at their destination. Rachel and Finn got out of the vehicle not speaking a word about what happened inside the car. What happened in the cab stays in the cab.

When Rachel stepped outside she realized where they were. It was Rockefeller Center, the ice skating part of it. _Why is he taking me ice skating?_ Rachel thought. Finn walked over to her and led her to the rental area with his hand on the small of her back. Rachel and Finn had long sense changed out of their elf costumes, but Rachel still wasn't exactly dressed for ice skating. She had on thin leggings, with a long tight coat, and a scarf and pompom hat to top it off. Rachel use to take Figure Skating lessons when she was younger so she knew the proper skating attire, even for just causal skating; and she wasn't wearing it. Nevertheless, Rachel couldn't do anything about it because Finn obviously wouldn't let her go back to her apartment to grab clothes, and she already told him she would do what he wanted.

The man behind the rentals was a young man, around their age. He looked at Rachel giving her a smile before asking, "Shoes size?" with a wink at Rachel. Finn didn't miss this, and he felt a hint of jealousy. It wasn't like they were in a real relationship or anything, but the more time he's spent with her the more his realizes how he wants to be with her. Finn's pretty sure she doesn't feel the same way about him though, because it feels like Rachel will literally look for things in their conversations to get mad about. Finn doesn't know why she does that; _maybe she's just an easily annoyed person_, he thought. But for some reason he felt like it was more than that.

"Size 6 ½," Rachel told the guy. _Damn she has really small feet_, Finn thought for a second. The man behind the counter turned around towards the back and grabbed thin white ice skates with a number 6 on the heel. Then he turned towards Finn, raising an eyebrow at him, encouraging him to say his size.

"Size 12," Finn answered slightly glaring at the guy. _Wow his feet are huge! I bet he has a really big penis too,_ was Rachel's first thought, she immediately bit her lip and blushed at her thought. Rachel honestly had no idea where it came from. The man behind the counter grabbed Finn a pair size 12 black skates. When they were done the man smiled at Rachel again; she knew he was hitting on her. It didn't bother her though, because part of her was still the annoying girl from high school who never got anyone to pay attention to her. When she went to college and finally grew into her looks, Rachel began to get noticed by people a lot more; mainly boys and it felt good. However, Rachel wasn't interested in him, so it did make her feel a little uncomfortable. She noticed the color of Finn's knuckles as he grabbed the ice skates from the man. They were almost white from his intense grip on the shoes. When she looked up at his face, he was glaring at the man who had been flirting with her. Rachel didn't understand why he would be doing that; the guy had been more than polite to them. _Maybe he was jealous_, she thought, _was it possible?_ Rachel didn't know what to think, and she didn't have time to analyze it either because before she knew it, Finn grabbed her hand and pulled her to a bench.

They sat down to put on their skates. "So have you ever been skating before?" Finn asked her while lacing up on of his left skate.

"I use to take Figure Skating lessons when I was younger, but I haven't gone in quite some time now," the dark haired girl answered.

"Were you any good?"

"Yes, I was actually. I won many competitions; I was very talented," Rachel boasted with a smile. Finn chuckled at her and slipped on his other skate. "What about you, are you good? I know you're all Mr. Christmas and stuff so I assume you must go often."

Finn looked down and smiled a little, "Well, I go often," he highlighted with a positive. Rachel gave him a confused look, "I'm really not coordinated. At all," Finn explained sheepishly. Rachel smiled at him; giving him a quiet reassurance that he didn't have to be embarrassed about potentially falling over. Rachel grabbed Finn's hand and stood up. She hadn't been on ice skates in long time, yet it still felt so natural. Rachel loved to ice skate as a child; it was that and singing she loved so much. But as she got older, Rachel decided to give it up because it didn't have anything to do with performing on Broadway. As much as she loved ice skating, she just didn't see it as her career. So she gave it up, but back then it didn't feel as if it had so much of an effect on her because performing was what she loved about it all, and being on stage covered that for her. However, being here now, gliding on the ice felt so amazing and she realized how much she missed it.

Rachel pulled Finn along the ice cautiously, making sure to not let him fall. Finn wobbled on the ice and held onto Rachel's hands tightly. Her hand was so small compared to his, they fit perfectly together. Rachel skated backwards with Finn in front of her. They laughed at how stiff Finn was while he skated.

"Do you think you can stand on your own?" Rachel asks the tall man.

"Um, probably not, but let's try anyways," Finn joked. Rachel slowly removed her grasp on him and watched intently at how he managed. Finn wobbled a little, but caught his balance soon after.

Finn smiled, "Hey I'm doing it!" Finn puffed out his chest proud of himself.

Rachel clapped for him, "Yeah you are, good job! Can you move?" Rachel was proud of him, and she thought his excitement was adorable.

"Umm…" Finn trailed off unsure of himself. He was afraid he would fall on his butt and completely embarrass himself in front her Rachel.

"It's okay if you fall Finn," she reassured him, reading his mind as well. Finn smiled at her and then started to try to glide gracefully along the slick frozen ice. His arms were out beside himself, helping to keep him balanced. Finn moved slowly and stiffly. He really didn't want to fall and the pressure of Rachel watching him was starting to affect him; Finn started to wobble and eventually he fell to the ground. Rachel gasped surprised, then made her way over to him. She knelt down next to him and Finn started to chuckle at himself.

"Finn, are you okay?" Rachel asked with dramatic concern, which made Finn chuckle more because it really wasn't that bad of a fall.

"I guess you're going to have to keep holding my hand for now on," he smirked.

"I could live with that," Rachel flirted back.

He smiled the half smile that she loved, "Me too." Rachel helped Finn stand up, and they joined hands again then started skating steadily. With Rachel holding onto Finn's hand he felt like he could go a little faster. Rachel gave Finn the support he felt like he needed to do things he wasn't good at; Finn just hoped he made Rachel feel the same. The duo chatted as they went around the ice together, completely oblivious to the other people around them.

On their way around for what was about the 13th time, Finn and Rachel pasted an older couple who were glancing at them while sipping on their Styrofoam cups of hot cocoa. Rachel took notice of this and gave a slight confused look at the couple.

The older woman seemed to of understood what Rachel thought and then cleared things up for her, "We were just saying that we think you guys are a cute couple," she reassured.

Rachel and Finn shared a nervous look, "Oh, we're not a couple," Rachel told them awkwardly, but still appreciated it inside. Finn was disappointed to hear that, but knew that it was the truth.

The woman and her husband looked unconvinced, "Really? Well, then we think you two _would_ be cute together," she winked at Rachel.

Rachel smiled at her and then continued skating with Finn who was also smiling to himself. "Hey do you want to take a break or I could take a break and you could maybe show me your "award winning" skills?" Finn asked her. Rachel's smile widened and she quickly agreed. Finn took a seat at the bench and Rachel skated to the middle of the ice. Most of the people had gone home by now so the ice was basically clear. Rachel got ready to start one of favorite routines from all those years ago, but she still remembered. Taking a deep breath she began.

Finn stared at her in awe as she glided gracefully and smoothly throughout the frozen water; doing many jumps and turns. It was like he was in a trance of just Rachel Berry. Rachel didn't think of anything while performing, all she had in her mind was the music she used during her performance. She was brought back to a time when she felt as if she could accomplish anything. When nothing stood in the way of her dreams and everything she hoped for was in reach. A time when she didn't need to worry about tumbling down and Finn gave her that. Rachel's performance came to an end and Finn started clapping. Rachel's head snapped up at the sound and gave Finn a 100 watt smile. Finn was extremely impressed by her talent, and it made him confused as to why she would put all that talent to waste.

Rachel skated her way to the bench, taking a seat next to Finn. She started to change out of her skates deciding that she was finished for the day; Finn had already done so. "Rachel, you're amazing. Why would you stop skating if you're so good at it?" Finn questioned.

"I just, didn't see it in as my career," Rachel answered simply, not really wanting to get into it.

"But you working as an elf in a mall was?" Finn questioned again, completely confused with what she saw herself doing.

"No, I actually want to be on Broadway. I've sort of had my whole future figured out since I was 6."

"Seriously? I don't even know what I want to do now," Finn trailed off. Rachel looked at him concerned with what he said. She didn't know if she should question it or not, but it did make her wonder.

"You don't know what you want to do?" She finally asked after a moment of silence.

"Not really I'm mean, I like to work with kids and all, but I don't know maybe, I just will work in a mall my whole life. Or be one of those Walmart greeter people." He joked, even though it wasn't much of a joking matter; Finn tended to make jokes when things pertaining to himself got serious.

"Finn, is that seriously the life you want to live?" Rachel tried.

"No, but it be the one I have to live." He finished. Rachel was shocked because Finn had always been so optimistic about things. _Maybe he was good at being hopeful for other people, but not for himself, Rachel wondered._ A lot of things about Finn confused her. _Maybe we will just have to learn more about each other_, Rachel decided. They did only just meet today.

"But anyways," Finn diverted the conversation, "I should probably get you home because it's like 11:00." Rachel nodded still wanting to help Finn, but at the same time not wanting to push him. She also realized that Santana will kill her when she gets home, and being out any later will only worsen things.

* * *

Finn walked Rachel up the steps to her apartment building. He didn't know if he should hug her; kiss her, or just wave. They hadn't put any definition or label to their relationship yet or anything, but they did flirt a lot today. Finn wasn't sure what to do about this situation but then he realized that Rachel was talking, "So I guess this is goodbye." She started.

Finn really hoped he didn't miss anything she said, "Yeah, I guess it is. I had a really good time today," _God Finn, now you're making it sound like it was a date. You don't want to scare her off_, he told himself.

"Me too, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Rachel finished.

"Yeah I'll see you tomorrow, bye."

"Bye." And with that and a smile, went inside of her apartment building. Finn ran a hand through his hair, and walked to the Taxi waiting for him. Finn didn't know what do about his Rachel situation. He really did like her, and he hope that she liked him too. Regardless of either situation, Finn knew one thing was certain; he was going to make her love Christmas.

* * *

**A/N****: I hope you like it. I'm not so sure if I like exactly how this chapter came out, but hopefully the next one will be out soon so I can redeem myself. I don't think there will be many chapters left because Christmas is very soon, so I'll try to make them very long. Tell me you like and what you want to see! Thanks for reading! :)**

**We'll never forget you Cory!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N****: Another update! I really want to finish this by Christmas! I hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer****: If I owned Glee I wouldn't be writing a story about it, I would be writing an episode. So, no, I do not own Glee. **

* * *

It was December 20; 3 days since Finn took Rachel ice skating, and 3 days since they first met. Finn had already noticed a difference with Rachel's enthusiasm towards Christmas, Rachel actually had a smile on her face during work now. And even though he knew she wasn't completely ready to start baking gingerbread or eating sugar plums, he thought she was on her way. Still Finn understood that he had to help move the process along by showing her what Christmas really is. And today, that was exactly what he was about to do. They had the day off of work, so Finn took advantage of that by getting a head start on his plan with Rachel.

Finn remembered where she lived from the last time he dropped her off, and took a cab to her apartment. He went to her door and prepared himself on what he was going to ask her. Taking in a breath, Finn knocked on her door. He heard shuffling inside and then the door swung open, but instead of Rachel's face, he saw another girl's. She had dark, dark hair, and large lips. She looked like she had a Hispanic background. "Can I help you?" She asked sourly.

Finn got nervous, "Yeah, uh, I—I was looking for Rachel Berry. Does she live here?"

"It depends, who are you, and what do you want?" She answered with a neck roll.

"Well, my name is Finn Hudson, and I just wanted to take her out on a date—well not a date exactly, just kind of out of her house…" Finn stuttered awkwardly.

The dark haired girl got a look of realization on her face, "Oh, you're Finn. Hold on just a second," she closed the door in his face and went inside. "Rachel! Buddy the Elf is here," Santana shouted to her roommate.

Rachel came out of her room expecting to see the tall man, but instead saw no one. "What are you talking about Santana? No one is here."

"Yes there is, he's on the other side of the door," she told her friend matter-of-factly.

Rachel looked panicked, "What? Why would you just leave him there?" Santana simply walked away not caring about her friend's troubles. Rachel huffed then opened the door to see Finn's relieved face. "Sorry, that's my friend Santana. She can be a little—"

"Rude?" Finn finished for her.

"Yeah."

Santana overheard them, "Hey, I can be nice," Rachel gave her a look, "Sometimes," she finished. Rachel laughed at her then turned back to Finn.

"So, why are you here? We had the day off, I figured you would be outside ringing more bells for the Salvation Army."

"Oh I am but it's later tonight," Finn joked sarcastically, Rachel laughed with him, "But um, I wanted to take you somewhere."

"Am I allowed to know where this time?"

"I don't know, I'm kind of big on surprises," Finn smirked at her. Rachel smiled back then allowed Finn to lead her out of the apartment and to the Taxi he had waiting, after she said goodbye to Santana.

Rachel didn't know where they were going again, but this time she didn't feel so nervous. Rachel was learning to trust Finn, even after just knowing him for 3 days.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me to give you a hint of where we're going yet," Finn pointed out.

"Me too actually. I don't know why I just don't feel that nervous about where we're going." Finn smiled at her. He was happy that he made her feel comfortable.

"Good," he replied simply with a slight nod of his head. The car ride was short and soon they were arriving outside of the Lincoln Center Theater, it had a large poster of The Nutcracker above it. Rachel was at lost for words. She always wanted to go as a kid because she absolutely adored the Barbie version; however her dads were never able to make it happen. When you lived in Lima, Ohio, a trip to New York took a lot of planning. But now, standing in front of the bigger-than-life billboard, Rachel was far from excited.

"Finn, how did you know I was wanted to see this?" Rachel asked in awe.

Finn shrugged, "I didn't. But I'm glad I brought you here. You said you want to be on Broadway so I figured you would want to see a real Broadway play, and while this is a ballet and stuff it's the only Christmas one I could afford so," Finn confessed.

Rachel ran up and hugged him, "Thank you so much! You have no idea how long I've wanted to see this." Finn was surprised when Rachel hugged him, but it felt so right. All he wanted to do was hold on to her forever, and Rachel felt the same. It was the first time Rachel felt herself wrapped in the arms of him, and yet she felt like she could've been there her entire life. She didn't want to leave, but her anxiousness to see the play was taking over her. Rachel pulled away reluctantly and smiled at Finn an excited smile, and then pulled him through the heavy doors.

Inside was decorated very Christmassy, which Rachel found slightly annoying considering she still had yet to find love in the holidays. However, she understood that she was about to watch a Christmas play and they had fit the theme. With her hand still attached to Finn's, she led him to the ticket booth where he paid for both their tickets; despite her protests. Hand in hand, they walked into the theater and took their seats.

Rachel gawked at the large beautiful stage, which was decorated in the most extravagant way. Seeing it made Rachel want to climb up onto it to perform, surprisingly, Rachel had never been to a real Broadway theater before, so seeing one in the flesh was incredible to her. It made her feel home, and a knowing feeling of belongingness washed over her. Finn was just as impressed as Rachel had been with the set up. Given he appreciated the Christmas decorations more, but all of it had looked amazing. Finn looked down at Rachel's bright, glowing face and gave her hand a squeeze. Seeing her happy because of something he managed to arrange made Finn puff out his chest just a little bit more.

The two of them took their seats and waited for the play to start. "Have you ever been to a Broadway play before?" Finn asked her.

"No, have you?" Rachel asked him expecting to hear no.

"Actually, I have. My brother is pretty big on Broadway so he dragged me to one, one time. It was okay, but I don't know it's just not really my thing." Finn answered surprising Rachel.

"Your brother likes Broadway?"

"He loves it, probably just as much as you."

"Well, now I want to meet him. Does he live in New York?" Rachel asked completely serious.

"He does, but he's visiting his boyfriend back home," Finn told her, wondering how she's going to react about his brother being gay.

"Oh, he's gay?" Rachel asked bluntly unaware of how it might have sounded.

Finn suddenly got defensive because his brother had been through a lot in high school with ignorant homophobes, and if Rachel couldn't accept his brother, they would have a serious issue. "Yeah, is that a _problem_?"

Rachel was surprised at his harsh tone, "No, no, not at all. I have two gay dads I am completely fine with anyone who is homosexual."

Finn relaxed at her words, "Okay good. Sorry, he had just been through a lot with people not accepting him, and it's just a natural reflex to get defensive about that stuff," Finn confessed slightly embarrassed about his small lash at her.

"It's okay I understand. My best friend, Santana, the one met at my house, she's lesbian so I've done my fair share of verbally attacking anyone who decides that she can't be herself," Rachel shared. Finn and Rachel smiled at each other realizing they had a lot more in common than they thought. It just goes to prove that people with even the most different views on life, can find something in common to bond over. They smiled a little longer until the lights in the theater started dimming, the audience hushed, and the curtains began to open. Finn and Rachel continued holding hands throughout the entire ballet, not even noticing they were doing it.

* * *

The curtains closed on the final scene and the audience erupted into applause. Rachel had thoroughly enjoyed it, and even Finn thought it was enjoyable. However, he hadn't paid much attention because the smiling brunette next to him had been much a distraction. She didn't do anything purposely, but Finn found her excitement and love for the play very attractive. Finn wondered why Rachel was able to find such joy in a ballet about Christmas, but not the real thing. He made a mental note to ask her about it next chance he got. When he and Rachel stood up they realized their fingers were laced together, but made no move to remove them. Rachel stretched her back and sighed, "That was amazing," she smiled.

"I'm glad you liked it." Finn led her out of the aisle and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Rachel pushed her body closer to him, missing the feeling of his arms wrapped around her body. Together they walked outside and continued walking. Neither of them knew where they were going but felt like they were being led somewhere. Finn hadn't set up many other plans for the day, but was hoping he and Rachel could just talk and hang out. It was only 4 P.M, yet the sky was already starting to get dark so the street lights were turned on giving the crowded sidewalks a magical glow. It had snowed there earlier in the month, but because of all the people walking and cars driving, the snow on the ground had turned to slush, and the only available to see was on the wreaths hanging from the street lights. The weather was cuddle weather, which Finn liked because it gave Rachel a reason to hang onto him, and for him to wrap his arms around her.

"Do you know where we're going?" Rachel asked, not caring, but still curious.

Finn gave her his half smile, "No, not really."

Rachel giggled, and they continued walking down the sidewalk. They had been passing many stores during the walk, but one in particular caught Rachel's eye. It had a sweet smell coming out of it and the pastel colored sign appealed to her for some reason. "Can we go in there?" She asked pointing to the store on their right. Finn looked to where her finger was pointing and nodded. They turned and went inside of the small bakery called "Magnolia Bakery." It was a cute small place with a delicious smell coming from it. Inside was fairly crowed and loud for such a small place.

A lady working at the counter prompted them with questions on what they would like, "Hello what would you like today?"

"Do you have any Vegan options?" Rachel asked meekly. Not many Bakeries accommodated to people who refuse to eat animals.

"We do, actually. Not many, but there are some. There's a menu up there with choices if you want to take a look," She told them pointing to a large sign above her head. Finn and Rachel took a look before deciding on their choices; Finn an Apple Walnut and Cranberry muffin, and Rachel a Vegan Cinnamon Sugar muffin. Both were off of the breakfast category, but breakfast for desert is always the best. They sat down at a small both next a window with their pastries. Both of them were eager to try them because of the smell wafting from the store smelt amazing.

"You ready?" Finn asked, gesturing with both his hands at their deserts.

Rachel nodded, "Yes, this smells amazing!" Finn agreed and they both dug into the muffins, groaning with delight at the taste. "This is so good," Rachel complimented with her hand covering her mouth full of food.

"Oh my God, it tastes like Christmas!" Finn joked, causing Rachel to laugh really hard. Her hand still covering her mouth, and the sound muffled by a mix of the muffin and her hand, yet laughter was evident on her face by her eyes squeezed shut and her stomach and chest shaking from the trapped sound, until she swallowed her piece and was able to allow her giggles to come out. Finn was laughing with her too, but was more proud about the fact that he was able to get her to laugh. "I love your laugh," Finn told her honestly once the laughter had calmed down.

Rachel blushed and tilted her head down, "Thank you," she paused, "You're really sweet," she added and bit her lip after. Finn's eyes zoned in on her action and before he could think about it, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Rachel was surprised at first but quickly joined in. Their lips moved together in sync finding their own rhythm. The feeling they shared together was something indescribable. Something neither of them had witnessed before. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds, but still communicated their feelings to one another. When they broke apart, Finn and Rachel rested their foreheads on one another gazing into each other's eyes.

Finn was the first to break the silence, "That was even better than this muffin."

Rachel giggled again, "So much better," she agreed. They moved their heads away from each other, not speaking about the kiss that had happened. Finn and Rachel were stealing glances at one another as they ate in comfortable silence.

* * *

When they finished their muffins, they decided to continue to sit and chat with one another because of how comfortable they both were inside the small, yummy smelling, bakery. "So Rachel, I have a question for you," Finn prompted her deciding now was a good time to start asking her questions about Christmas and things.

"Okay, ask away," Rachel allowed, with a raise of her left eyebrow.

"You said you loved the ballet The Nutcracker, but you also say you hate Christmas. I just want to know why you hate something but then like something that is related to it," Finn asked her trying not sound annoying and pushy.

Rachel took a deep breath ready to answer with her simple one-worded answers, but then thought about the question. "I don't know, I guess the ballet reminds me of when Christmas was still something special and enjoyable. Before I learned that it really _is_ only about getting things."

Finn nodded then asked innocently, "Is that really what you think Christmas is about?"

"Look, I know everyone says Christmas is about giving and not getting or something, but from what I witness, it is about getting. For example, when you give someone a gift, do you do it because you're being nice, or because you expect something in return? From what I understand, anyone who hands out a gift expects something in return equal to what they handed out. No one does it from the kindness in their heart, because someone who actually does do it from the heart, knows that the person they give to will never be able to pay them back."

"I hear what you're saying, but that isn't at all what Christmas is about. I know everyone says that it's about giving, or being with family, but from my perspective it's not," Finn told.

"Well then Mr. Hudson, what is Christmas about to you?" Rachel asked with a smile, ready to hear whatever insane answer she thought Finn was going to give. However, she thought wrong.

"To me it's about magic. It's about knowing that on at least one day of the year miracles do happen. Christmas isn't about the gifts or giving, or family even. It's about feeling that extra bit magic people tend to lose during the year, and to remind them that there is good in the world. I'm not sure why, but as people grow up they lose all hope of miracles and then they start to become bitter and mean. But Christmas is a time that is supposes to remind you of that child-like optimism you use to have. It lets you know that good is still in this world no matter what life has thrown at you, and it shows that miracles are happening everywhere you look; you just have to open your eyes sometimes to find them.

"Every Christmas movie that there is, shows some kind of miracle happening. Whether it's believing in Santa, the birth of Jesus, it snowing in the south, or a Scrooge becoming a Buddy the Elf," Finn smiled at her, "the point is that, just because you may not see them every day, miracles do happen. They're happening all around us, and Christmas is the time where we all learn to appreciate them."

When Finn finished Rachel had tears in her eyes. She had never thought words could have that much of an effect on her. From the time Rachel knew Finn, he had never been that good with words, but he proved her wrong. Rachel leaned over the table and placed a sincere kiss on his lips. She let her lips linger there for a moment, "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" Finn asked, even though he knew the answer.

"For making me love Christmas again." Rachel whispered to him with all honesty. She kissed him again, this time longer and more passionate.

"It was my pleasure. I hate the thought of someone going through life without magic."

Rachel remembered the time at Rockefeller three days ago when he told he would have to settle on his career choice rather than finding something he loved to do. "Okay, you helped me, now it's my turn to help you," she demanded.

Finn raised an eyebrow, "Help me with what?"

"When you took me ice skating, you told me that you didn't know what you wanted to do with your life, correct?"

"Well yeah, but I don't see—"

"I'll help you figure out what you want to do. No one should have to settle for something they don't want to do; especially someone as wonderful as you." Finn's eyes softened on hers. He never had someone willing to help him find something to do with his life. Everyone had always not bothered or given up; for some reason Finn had always been picky about what he wanted to do.

"You said you like to work with children, well what if you became a teacher?" Rachel asked him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Finn thought for a moment liking the sound of being an educator to kids, "But doesn't that require going to college and getting a degree and stuff?" He always managed to find some flaw with every serious job they recommended.

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Yes, but if you really want to do something for the rest of your life, it'll require lots of hard work. Personally I think you would make an amazing teacher because you work really great with all the little kids at the mall, and you're extremely inspiring."

"I think I like the idea of being a teacher. It sounds like something fun to do." Finn smiled at the thought of getting to help kids grow and learn. The more he thought about it, the more it grew on him. "Yeah, I really like that. Thanks Rachel, you're really unbelievable you know that? You just helped me figure something out that not even my mom, who's known me my whole life, could help me figure out, and you've known me for only three days."

Rachel blushed, "You're unbelievable too you know." Finn smiled back at Rachel and kissed her again. It was amazing, only three days ago Rachel would barley consider the thought of liking Christmas even in the slightest bit. But for some reason this man was put into her life, and now she has a reason to love it again. He was her Christmas miracle for sure.

* * *

**A/N****: I hope you liked this chapter! I don't think it's the end because I want to do somewhat of an epilogue, like fast forward to Christmas Eve and have them all celebrating it with everyone. I feel like I might've rushed the ending a little, but I'm writing this at 3:00 A.M so I don't think I 'm actually in my right mind right now. Haha, anyways! I want to have the next chapter posted on Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, I feel like it will be Christmas Day because I will probably be up all night writing, however it may end up being after that too. Hopefully not though! Please review and tell me what you think! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**We'll never forget you Cory! All we want for Christmas is you.**


End file.
